The Comfort of Obsession

As I sat on the floor next to Ira's toddler bed, waiting for him to drop off, I prayed for him and for my home like I do almost every night-
"Lord, protect our home. Do not let fear rule in this place. Bring peace and rest.." and I felt Him respond, "trust me."

The message I was getting loud and clear was that I can pray these things over and over as a sort of ritual or I can believe that He heard me the first time. He is faithful, after all. I know He doesn't desire harm to come to me or my family. So why am I still stuck on these thoughts?

Fear. I'm giving it too much room to creep in. Fear and Faith are opposite, so I can't really operate under both mindsets. At some point I have to give in to one of them totally.

But, perhaps, there's a reason I resort to these same concerns in my prayer time. Maybe the fact that I'm praying for my family's protection brings much happier feelings than those that might be associated with my growth.

In trusting God and moving on from the same repetitive prayers every night, I will inevitably be forced to focus on other issues in my life. Matters of the heart. Places that need some deep cleaning. I cannot avoid the growing pains any longer. It's time to move on here.

I wonder how many of us stay stuck in one spot of our lives? We find out that we have a particular weakness for something, and then spend all of our time trying to work through it. "Trust me," He said. Stop obsessing over that one little thing and trust that He's working on it. All things have their season of harvest. Maybe the push you need in that area will come from focusing on others. Or starting with something simple, like being more positive.

Don't get stuck in the rut of feeling defeated over one area of your life.

Life is multi-faceted. Some spots may be a little cloudy, so reflect on things through something more clear. Basics like: Love, Joy, Hope, Charity, Empathy. Just as a diamond reflects light based on the clarity in the stone. The light doesn't stay trapped inside, it makes its way back out through whatever avenue it can.

It's the light that makes it shine-
Lindsay